This invention relates to a windshield assembly for attachment to a recreation vehicle, such as a golf cart. The invention relates particularly a windshield assembly including an improved means for attaching the windshield to the golf cart.
Most conventional golf carts have a canopy supported by a pair of front and back support posts. Additionally, these golf carts generally include a split windshield having an upper panel and lower panel connected together by a hinge. Various attachment devices serve to attach the split windshield to the front support posts of the golf cart. The upper panel of the windshield is moveable from a closed position wherein air flow is shielded from the face of the driver, to an open position wherein air flows freely above the lower panel and through the support posts to the driver while the cart is in motion. When in the open position, the upper panel pivots outwardly from the normal plane of the windshield and overlies the lower panel. A first attachment device holds the upper panel in the closed, air-shielding position, and a second attachment device holds the upper panel in the open, air-flowing position.
A split windshield assembly, as described generally above, is known in the art. Many of these windshield assemblies, however, include attachment devices which are inadequate for effectively holding the upper panel of the split windshield in the open and closed positions while the cart is in motion. According to one prior art windshield assembly, each of the first and second attachment devices have a pair of relatively thin arms for engaging either the front support posts or a curved top edge of the upper panel. The attachment devices are constructed of a hard resinous material, and require frequent replacement due to breakage and cracking of the arms. In addition, because the attachment devices are relatively hard or rigid, they do not effectively grip and hold the upper panel in the desired position while the golf cart is in motion.
A windshield assembly of the present invention overcomes the drawbacks of the prior art by providing respective first and second flexible attachment devices which resist breakage and cracking. The devices securely hold the upper panel in both the open and closed positions, and do not require frequently replacement due to wear and damage.